1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an acoustic compressor with two resonators that utilize amplitude pressure fluctuation based on acoustic resonance.
2. Related Art
As disclosed in JP2004-293356A, an acoustic compressor is known in which a piston is made to reciprocate in an axial direction at high speed with a minute amplitude, inside a large diameter base of an acoustic resonator, so as to discharge a fluid sucked in from a small diameter end of the acoustic resonator by pressure fluctuation in the acoustic resonator accompanying reciprocation of the piston.
The acoustic compressor utilizes amplitude pressure fluctuation of acoustic standing waves produced by resonance of a gas column in the tube accompanying motion of the piston when the piston is reciprocated in an axial direction with a minute amplitude, so that, as a moving part, only an actuator is provided for reciprocating, at high speed, the piston provided inside the base of the acoustic resonator.
Accordingly, since the structure is very simple and the risk of malfunctions is small, the acoustic compressor is expected to become widely used.
However, in the acoustic compressor described above, since a gas is sucked in and discharged only by the piston that minutely oscillates, in addition to the fundamental problems that the compression ratio obtained is small and the discharged flow volume is small, the following problems also exist.
(a) Since the actuator protrudes from the base of the acoustic resonator, the dimension of the overall acoustic compressor is large in the axial direction.
(b) Since all of the reaction force of the actuator accompanying generated oscillations must be taken by a supporting member of the actuator, the supporting member must be made strong.
(c) Since the oscillations due to the actuator are transmitted, without change, to the supporting member, there is a risk that the supporting member will be loosened or damaged. As a result, the supporting member must exhibit exceptional oscillation absorption ability, resulting in high costs.